Amid a shaky ceasefire and exchange of warnings, the US has reportedly put forth a list of demands to resume negotiations for a peace deal. According to Iran’s Fars news agency, these demands include not paying any war reparations to Iran and also removing 400 kilograms of enriched uranium from there and be delivered to the US.
The report surfaces amid United States President Donald Trump’s “clock is ticking” warning for Iran as peace talks between the two nations, which are at war but currently under a temporary ceasefire, remain stalled.
These demands were made by the US after Tehran presented its peace proposal, the Iranian news agency reported on Sunday. It said that US’ other demands include keeping just one nuclear facility operational in Iran, not releasing even 25 per cent of Iran’s frozen assets, and agreeing to stop the fighting on all fronts only if talks or negotiations are held.
Another Iranian news agency, Mehr, said that the US offered “no tangible concessions, wants to obtain concessions that it failed to obtain during the war, which will lead to an impasse in the negotiations.”
What are Iran’s preconditions for negotiations
The current impasse in diplomatic exchange between Iran and the United States comes after Iran set some preconditions to resume negotiations for ending the war for good.
Also read: ‘Clock is ticking’: Trump warns Iran, asks Tehran to ‘move fast’ amid stalled peace talks
These preconditions, according to Fars, include ending hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon, lifting anti-Iran sanctions, unfreezing Iran’s assets, paying reparations to Iran for war damages and recognising Iran’s sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
A ceasefire in Lebanon has emerged as a major point of contention between the two sides as Iran demands that aggression towards Lebanon, home to Tehran-backed Hezbollah fighters, should be stopped while Israel, which is backing the US in the war, refuses to accept the demand.
Also read: Subsea cables, Iran’s new point of power lays beneath the Strait of Hormuz. Here’s how
‘Time is of essence’
Amid stalled peace talks, Trump warned Iran on Sunday of consequences if it refuses to reach a deal with the United States, reminding it that the “clock is ticking”.
While Trump did not directly say what he plans on doing if Iran doesn’t agree to the US’ demands, his post on Truth Social hinted that he might consider renewed aggression.
“For Iran, the Clock is Ticking, and they better get moving, FAST, or there won’t be anything left of them. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!” he wrote in the post, followed by several artificial intelligence-generated images of him and videos showing the US attacking Iran as he manages the controls.
